In recent years, product delivery systems have been employed in agricultural implements to deliver seed, fertilizer and herbicides to planters and tool bars. As the size of agricultural implements continues to grow, the versatility of such implements becomes more significant. Large air carts or air seeders have become increasingly popular for planting seeds, fertilizer and other product without strict regard for the exact placement of the product.
Farm practices are becoming increasingly large, which is increasing demand for fluid power to control and drive the increased use hydraulic power on these large implements. Specifically in regard to completion of seeding and preparations, there is a demand for more hydraulic power for hydraulically-driven fans, augers, and other accessories employed on the air cart. In a known manner, the hydraulic-driven fan is used to pneumatically distribute seed/fertilizer from a supply to devices for placement in the ground. Hydraulic-driven meter rollers are employed to regulate the flow of seed/fertilizer into the air stream generated by the fan motor. Hydraulic-driven augers are employed to load seed/fertilizer to a reservoir of the air cart.
A certain known hydraulic system associated with operation of these hydraulic-driven accessories employed on the air cart includes a reservoir in fluid communication with a hydraulic pump, both located on the tow vehicle, to provide fluid power to the air cart via two sets of hydraulic supply lines: one set of lines for the hydraulically-driven fan and one set of lines for the hydraulically-driven auger. One drawback of this certain known hydraulic system is the requirement of multiple sets of hydraulic lines between the tow vehicle and the air cart.
As a marginal improvement, another certain known hydraulic system includes a common selector valve and a common flow regulator control valve in fluid communication with a single set of hydraulic supply lines to supply fluid power from the tow vehicle to the air cart. The common selector valve allows switching the supply of fluid power between a distribution mode (i.e., fan) and a loading mode (i.e., auger) of operation. However, each time when switching between the distribution and the loading modes of operation, the operator must adjust the common flow rate regulator control valve for the different desired flow rates of hydraulic fluid associated with each mode of operation.
Therefore, a need has arisen to provide a simple, reliable, durable, and efficient hydraulic system for regulation of the various hydraulic implements (e.g., auger, fan, metering rollers, etc.) associated with operation of the air cart in the conveying product in an agricultural setting or environment. Furthermore, there is a need for a hydraulic system that is operable to provide fluid power at different desired flow rates via a set of common hydraulic lines for selective distribution and loading modes of operation associated with the air cart.